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Redskins safety Taylor dies

The 24 year old Washington player fails to recover from gunshot wounds.

27 Nov 2007 13:44 GMT

Washington Redskins saefty Sean Taylor: Dead at 24 [GALLO/GETTY]

A family friend of Washington Redskins safety Sean Taylor has announced that the player has died, a day after he was shot at home.

Richard Sharpstein said he did not know exactly when the 24 year old had died.

Doctors had been encouraged as recently as Monday night when Taylor squeezed a nurse's hand.

But Sharpstein said he was told Taylor never regained consciousness after being transported to the hospital.

He said Taylor's father called him around 5:30 a.m. (10.30 GMT) to tell him the news.

"His father called and said he was with Christ and he cried and thanked me," said Sharpstein, who was also Taylor's former lawyer.

"It's a tremendously sad and unnecessary event. He was a wonderful, humble, talented young man, and had a huge life in front of him. Obviously God had other plans."

The Redskins safety was shot early Monday morning in the upper leg, damaging an artery which caused significant blood loss.

Miami-Dade Police were investigating the attack, which came just eight days after an intruder was reported in the player's home.

Officers were dispatched about 1:45 a.m. (0645 GMT) Monday after Taylor's girlfriend called police. Taylor was airlifted to the hospital.

Investigation continues

Sharpstein said Taylor's girlfriend told him the couple was awakened by loud noises, and Taylor grabbed a machete he keeps in the bedroom for protection.

An investigator loads material into a police vehicle in front of the home where an intruder shot Sean Taylor [GALLO/GETTY]

According to the player’s girlfriend someone then broke through the bedroom door and fired two shots, one missing and one hitting Taylor, Sharpstein said.

Taylor's 1-year-old daughter, Jackie, was also in the house at the time, but neither she nor Taylor's girlfriend were injured.

"It could have been a possible burglary; it could have been a possible robbery," Miami-Dade Police Lt. Nancy Perez said.

"It has not been confirmed as yet."

It came about a week after someone pried open a front window of his house in the Miami suburb of Palmetto Bay, rifled through drawers and left a kitchen knife on a bed at Taylor's home, according to police.

Teammates and coaches often have portrayed Taylor as widely misunderstood player.

A private man with a small inner circle, Taylor became distrustful of reporters and anyone else he didn't know well.

But, behind the scenes, Taylor was described as personable and smart; an emerging locker room leader, especially since the birth of his daughter Jackie.

"From the first day I met him, from then to now, it's just like night and day," Redskins receiver James Thrash said.

"He's really got his head on his shoulders and has been doing really well as far as just being a man. It's been awesome to see that growth."

An All-American at the University of Miami, Taylor was drafted by the Redskins with the fifth overall selection in 2004.

Controversial career

Coach Joe Gibbs called it "one of the most researched things" he's ever done, but the problems soon began.

Taylor fired his agent, then skipped part of the NFL's mandatory rookie symposium, drawing a $25,000 fine.

Driving home late from a party during the season, he was pulled over and charged with drunken driving.

The case was dismissed in court, but by then it had become a months-long distraction for the team.

Taylor was also fined at least seven times for late hits, uniform violations and other infractions over his first three seasons, including a $17,000 penalty for spitting in the face of Tampa Bay running back Michael Pittman during a playoff game in January 2006.

Meanwhile, Taylor endured a yearlong legal battle after he was accused in 2005 of brandishing a gun at a man during a fight over allegedly stolen all-terrain vehicles near Taylor's home.

He eventually pleaded no contest to two misdemeanors and was sentenced to 18 months' probation.

Taylor said the end of the assault case was like "a grey cloud" being lifted.

It was also around the time that Jackie was born, and teammates noticed a change.

"It's hard to expect a man to grow up overnight," said Redskins teammate and close friend Clinton Portis, who also played with Taylor at the University of Miami.

"But ever since he had his child, it was like a new Sean, and everybody around here knew it. He was always smiling, always happy, always talking about his child."

On the field, Taylor's play was often erratic.

Assistant coach Gregg Williams frequently called Taylor the best athlete he's ever coached, but nearly every big play was balanced with an error.

Taylor led the NFL in missed tackles in 2006 yet made the Pro Bowl because of his reputation as one of the hardest hitters in the league.

League leader

This year, however, Taylor was allowed to play a true free safety position, using his speed and power to chase down passes and crush would-be receivers.

His five interceptions tie for the league lead in the NFC, even though he missed the last two games because of a sprained knee.

Teammates said he had overhauled his diet this year to include more fruit, fish and vegetables and less red meat.

"I just take this job very seriously," Taylor said in a rare group interview during training camp.

"It's almost like, you play a kid's game for a king's ransom. And if you don't take it serious enough, eventually one day you're going to say, 'Oh, I could have done this, I could have done that.'

"So I just say, 'I'm healthy right now, I'm going into my fourth year, and why not do the best that I can?' And that's whatever it is, whether it's eating right or training myself right, whether it's studying harder, whatever I can do to better myself."

His hard work was well-noted.

"He loved football. He felt like that's what he was made to do," Gibbs said.

"And I think what I've noticed over the last year and a half ... is he matured. I think his baby had a huge impact on him. There was a real growing up in his life."